Unit 4 Vocabulary

Question 1

Affable

Answer 1

(adj.) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to
S: genial, amicable, agreeable, cordial
A: surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

Question 2

Aggrandize

Answer 2

(v) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater
S: augment, amplify, enhance, exalt
A: reduce, decrease, diminish

Question 3

Amorphous

Answer 3

(adj.) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion
S: formless, unstructured, nebulous, inchoate
A: definite, well-defend, clear-cut

Question 4

Aura

Answer 4

(n) that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality
S: ambience, atmosphere

Question 5

Contraband

Answer 5

(n) illegal traffic, smuggled goods,
(adj.) illegal, prohibited
S: illicit, bootleg, unlawful
A: legal, lawful, licit

Question 6

Erudite

Answer 6

(adj.) scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic
S: profoundly educated, well-read
A: ignorant, uneducated, illiterate

Question 7

Gossamer

Answer 7

(adj.) thin, light, insubstantial
(n) a very thin, light cloth
S: filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy
A: think, dense, solid, massive

Question 8

Infer

Answer 8

(v) to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply
S: gather, deduce, presume, guess, speculate

Question 9

Inscrutable

Answer 9

(adj.) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically
S: impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic
A: comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable

Question 10

Insular

Answer 10

(adj.) relating to, characteristics of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience
S: narrow-minded, provincial
A: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal

Question 11

Irrevocable

Answer 11

(adj.) incapable of being changed or called back
S: unrecallable, unalterable
A: reversible, changeable

Question 12

Propensity

Answer 12

(n) a natural inclination or predilection toward
S: natural bent, proclivity, penchant
A: natural incapacity or inability

Question 13

Querulous

Answer 13

(adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful
S: petulant, touchy, cranky, irritable
A: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid

Question 14

Remonstrate

Answer 14

(v) to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to
S: reason against, expostulate

Question 15

Repudiate

Answer 15

(v) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of
S: disavow, abjure, renounce
A: avow, affirm, aver, avouch

Question 16

Resilient

Answer 16

(Adj.) able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly
S: springy, elastic, buoyant, bouncy
A: rigid, stiff, inflexible, unyielding

Question 17

Reverberate

Answer 17

(v) to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly
S: rumble, thunder, boom, echo

Question 18

Scurrilous

Answer 18

(adj.) coarsely abusive, vulgar or low, foul-mouthed
S: obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative
A: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified

Question 19

Sedulous

Answer 19

(adj.) persistent, showing industry and determination
S: assiduous, tireless, indefatigable
A: lackadaisical, listless

Question 20

Sleazy

Answer 20

(adj.) thing or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior or quality or character; ethical low, mean, or disreputable
S: inferior, cheesy, tawdry, tatty
A: superior, first-rate